2013-07-02

|day 2| Refashion Month Guest: Ari from Max California

I'm not really sure when exactly I found my first guest blog, all I know is I became a fan right away! Today I am introducing you the creative lady behind Max California. Ari was the winner of Season 6 of Project Run & Play and we have competed together for the Sew Off too, her boy designs are the best always, so check out her blog if you don't know it yet!!!

Hello! I'm Ari from Max California!
I was super stoked when Magda asked me to be a part of Refashion July, as recycling and refashioning clothes is a MASSIVE part of my DIY aesthetic. I was cutting up band t-shirts and re-constructing them into new shirts or skirts for myself and my friends when we would go to gigs (pre-motherhood!). Most weekends I would be found on the floor of my sewing space hacking up a t-shirt last minute literally as everyone was walking out the door to jump in the taxi to take us out!
These days, I sew less for me and more for my kids, but I still have a huge pile of clothes that I use more than fabric meterage! During Project Run & Play I made friends with an awesome little lady who will be showing her stuff off here later this month, Suzanne from Winter Wonderings. She wrote an amazing summary post about the cost of competing that really struck a chord with me, and made me more determined to refashion old clothes instead of buying new clothes or new fabric. Since the competition I have bought only a few metres of lycra for a costume commission and some fleece for Vince's Sonic Hoodie, All my sewing since February has been out of my stash of fabric and clothes! Today I'm going to talk about the two ways I go about refashioning!
The first way is to see a shirt, or a pair of pants, and cut them down to size. Resizing them to fit you or your small ones. Finding a dress that is a few sizes too big and cutting it down to a dress that will fit you. Or doing the reverse! I have found kids tees I loved, then adding fabric to make them larger and fit me! Of course it's not all just complete resizing. You may see a skirt that you like the buttons and features on it, and re-use those features into something completely different.
The second way is to view the clothing you are going to refashion as fabric. This is the way I use mostly and the way that I am going to demonstrate to you today! When I got to the op-shops things that catch my eye mostly are the patterns on fabrics. Or even just plain fabrics, it's easier to find a colour I want in a second-hand shirt than new off the bolt at the fabric store.
In my stash of 'clothes to cut up' I had this old singlet from my sister with roses on the front, and this nightie I bought from the op-shop when I was pregnant (It was super comfy but it needs new life!)

I decided to make Edison a few Bimaa Sweaters, since I love the cowl-neck on her and we are heading to New Zealand in a month for a family vacation! It is going to be FREEZING and the Bimaa Sweater is my go-tolayering piece for her wardrobe. (PS. I'm not affiliated with Lou Bee Clothing at all, I just really dig Sarah's patterns! I was not paid/bribed to pimp her stuff, it's just seriously that awesome.)
I decided that the singlet would be the main body of the shirt, and the pattern on the nightie would be for the cowl and cuffs. I wasn't sure if I was going to manage to squeeze out the sleeves from the singlet as well, but the side-seams were very flat and on the *outside* of the shirt rather than the bulk being on the inside. So I cut the sleeves out of the side-seam sections that I normally would discard.

Check out my scraps! The white singlet is on top, and as you can see there is HEAPS of the maternity nightie left! The finished result? Well, see for yourself!

You can see in the sleeve up there the side seam of the original shirt!

Now I have heaps of leftovers for maybe some little matching leggings?

You can check out other things I have recycled and refashioned by checking out my Recycling Clothes tag on my blog! Thank you so much for having me Magda!